His hand still in the drawer, Jeff jerked his head back to see. “Are those real bones?”
Emory nodded. The exaggerated curvature of the skeleton’s spine met a large skull with four primary fangs on one end and a long tail on the other. “I think it’s a possum.”
“I’ve heard of eating roadkill, but to put it on display? That’s disgusting.”
“I doubt this was roadkill. No broken bones.”
“That’s even worse. Whoa! Please tell me this guy didn’t have any kids.”
“What is it?”
From the drawer, Jeff pulled a crude eight-inch doll made from chicken bones and twine. “That possum is no longer the most disgusting thing in this room.”
Emory took the doll and held it up to the possum skeleton. “Was this doll his amateurish attempt to do something like this?”
Closing the drawer, Jeff stood and inspected both sets of bones. “Well, that’s a freaky aspiration. Seriously, who was this guy?”
Chapter 5
A flax-colored compact pulled onto the cement driveway of a small blue-paneled house on a nondescript street. Virginia stepped out of the driver’s seat and met Becky Melton on the other side. “Your car is making a funky noise, especially going uphill. I know it’s a bad time to bring it up, but you need to get it checked out. I can do it if you’d like.”
Becky waved off her concern and trudged up the walkway to the front door of her house. “It’s been doing that since last week. The damn tire actually fell off when I went over a speed bump in the Walmart parking lot.”
“You’re lucky you weren’t on the interstate.”
“I know. The mechanic there said the car’s fine though – no damage to the axle.”
Virginia unlocked the door to Becky’s house. “How could it just fall off?”
“Don’t know.”
Virginia helped her friend to the spinach-green futon in the living room. “Can I get you anything?”
Becky buried her fingers in her blonde locks. “You don’t have to babysit me.”
Virginia sat next to her. “I’m not leaving you alone.”
“I won’t be alone for long. Corey’s parents are driving in from Memphis.”
“Where are your parents?”
“Trying to catch a flight back from Cancun. They’re on their second honeymoon.” Becky’s eyes dropped to the Berber carpet. “We never even took our first honeymoon. We were so broke.” She allowed herself a gentle laugh. “Of course, not much has changed.” She looked at Virginia. “You should get to work. I need you to prove Corey didn’t commit suicide.”
Virginia waited a second to respond. “Becky, forgive me for asking this, but are you sure he didn’t?”
Becky jabbed the air between them with her index finger. “I know my husband. He had no reason to want to die!”
“Okay. I had to ask.” Virginia texted Jeff to ask for a ride.
Becky heaved a great sigh. “How did he end up outside that window? He was so scared of heights. When we went to Gatlinburg last summer, I actually coaxed him into taking the Sky Lift. He panicked as soon as it took off. He kept his eyes closed the entire ride and sweated through his jacket by the time we reached the top. We had to Uber down the mountain. I felt so bad for making him do it, and he was completely embarrassed. That’s what prompted him to try getting some help for it.”
“He was seeing a therapist?”
Becky nodded. “He was seeing Randy Graham, a counselor at the Mountain Light Holistic Center.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s kind of a New Age treatment spa. I go there for the yoga classes.”
“I didn’t know you did yoga.”
Becky touched her waist. “I know I’ve gained some weight since I last saw you.”
“That’s not what I meant. I was just thinking we need to hang out more, and that’s something we could do together. I go to this great temple not far from here.”
Becky waved off the invitation. “I like where I go.”
Virginia waited a few seconds for Becky to extend an invitation to her yoga class, but it didn’t come. Her eyes wandered around the tidy and tiny living room, coming to rest on an item of interest perched on the coffee table. “Is that real?”
Becky followed Virginia’s pointing finger to a skeleton of a bird mounted on an onyx base. “Unfortunately. Corey moonlighted as a bone taxidermist.”
“I’ve never heard of that before.” Virginia picked up the sculpture by the base to inspect it. From the ribcage extended wing bones that looked like handless arms, while the sternum protruded from the ribs like the business end of an axe. “Is this a hummingbird?”
“Gross, isn’t it?”
“In a way it’s actually kind of beautiful.” Virginia touched the disproportionate skull and ran her finger over the long beak. “It looks like a baby dinosaur.”
“We agreed Corey could keep one item out here, and I chose the smallest one he had.” Becky nodded toward a white door. “He has to keep everything else in his workshop.”
Virginia returned the sculpture to the coffee table. “He’s talented.”
“Yeah, of all the things to be talented at… At least, we were making some money off it. About four months ago, I got him signed up as a contractor at the natural history museum where I work, providing animal skeletons for display.” Perhaps realizing that she was smiling, Becky pinched her lips together. “Listen to me talking like he’s going to come walking through the front door any minute now.”
Virginia wrapped an arm around her friend, who covered her crying eyes with her hand. The PI let a moment of silence pass before speaking. “Becky, if this wasn’t an accident, do you have any idea who could want to hurt Corey?”
Becky shook her head. “Corey was a gentle man. No one had any bad feelings toward him, at least not personally.”
“What do you mean?”
“His work put him at odds with some people – through no fault of his own. Corey moved up the ranks pretty quickly. He was such a hard worker, devoted to his job. Frank Belcher, his direct report, used to be Corey’s boss, and he was none too happy when Corey was promoted over him.”
“Did Corey say if he had threatened him?”
“No. No, not at all. Corey didn’t even tell me any of that. He didn’t like to bring work home with him. Darren, his boss, told me about the issue with Frank.” Her head bobbed forward. “Whoa.”
“Are you okay?”
“I took a sedative to calm me down, but it wasn’t working, so I took another one before we left the building.” Her head bobbed again. “Now it’s hitting me.”
Virginia jumped to her feet to help Becky to hers. “Let’s get you to bed.” She walked her to the bedroom and sat her on the edge of the double bed. “Do you need any help?”
“It’s all right. I can undress myself.” Becky began unbuttoning her blouse. “I’m just going to sleep.”
“Can I get you anything?”
Now in a bra and panties, Becky slipped under the covers. “A glass of water?”
“I’ll be right back.” Virginia headed into the kitchen and filled a glass from the faucet. As she turned from the sink, a voice startled her and loosened her grip.
“Someone asked for a ride?”
“Jeff! You scared the hell out of me.” Virginia’s eyes dropped from her partner in the kitchen doorway to the shard-strewn puddle at her feet.
“Sorry about that.”
“You could’ve knocked.”
Jeff shrugged. “The door was unlocked.”
Virginia retrieved another glass from the cupboard. “I’m getting this for Becky, and then we can go. Can you help me with the cleanup?”
“Sure thing.”
While Jeff unspooled some paper towels, Virginia filled the new glass and left the kitchen. Before she reached the bedroom door, she heard the light vibrato of Becky’s snoring. She slipped inside, placed the glass on the nightstand and exited, closing the door behind her.
When she returned to the kitchen, she saw wet paper towels over the broken glass but no Jeff. She walked through the living room to the front door and looked outside, but her partner wasn’t there or inside his car. She turned around and scanned the living room. “Jeff?” she whispered without a response. Her eyes zoomed in on the open door to Corey’s workroom.
She found Jeff inside wandering around the two metal work benches and four shelving units in the room. Scattered about on the various surfaces were dozens of animal skeletons – some mounted and others in pieces.
Virginia whispered, “Jeff, what are you doing?”
“Did you really think I’d pass up a snooping opportunity? This is our victim’s house. It’s our obligation to look around. And man, this guy was into some freaky shit.” Jeff held up a mounted skeleton of a bobcat. “I didn’t realize he made these. This is what Bobbie looks like underneath. I don’t know, but I don’t like thinking about her like this.”
Virginia took the skeleton from him and returned it to the shelf. “It’s not freaky. Well, not entirely. Corey sold these to the natural history museum for extra money.”
“We saw a possum skeleton in his office and some voodoo-esque thing made of chicken bones. Must’ve been a prototype.” Jeff closed in on a waist-high box covered in black cloth. “I wonder what this is.”
“Don’t touch it,” ordered Virginia, but she was too late.
Jeff pinched the black fabric and lifted it from the box. Both PIs gasped and jerked back. Strung up inside the glass-topped wooden box was the half-decomposed body of a housecat. Crawling over and throughout the carcass were hundreds of brown bugs with pale, speckled bands around the middle third of their bodies.
Virginia pointed at the box. “Is that… Is that a tabby?”
“And this isn’t freaky?” Jeff took a picture with his phone.
“Cover it back up. I’m going to check on Becky before we leave. And can you please clean up the glass in the kitchen?”
Virginia left the workroom for Becky’s bedroom. She pushed open the door and saw her friend now sleeping on her side, facing the bathroom on the other side of the room. Virginia was about to close the door again when she noticed something purple covering the back of her friend’s right shoulder. She stepped forward to examine it and gasped when she realized it was a large bruise in the shape of four fingers.
Chapter 6
Seated at his rickety rosewood desk, Emory Rome examined the contents of the flash drive Frank Belcher had given them during their visit to the TVA office. Plugged into his laptop, the files from Corey Melton’s computer proved to be mind-numbing in their tedium. All except the one now on his screen, the only one that might have a bearing on Corey’s death. Emory hit the Print button.
The printer hummed awake just before the front door to Mourning Dove Investigations slammed open. “This discussion is over!” insisted Virginia as she stormed to her desk.
“You’re right,” responded Jeff as he entered and closed the door. “We’re not dropping the case, and that’s that.”
“Guys!” Emory jerked up from his chair, catching his desk before it tipped over. “What’s going on?”
Virginia turned her attention to her computer and began typing. “I want us to drop the case.”
“Why?” asked Emory.
Without looking up from her monitor, Virginia answered, “Because I don’t care why Corey’s dead now. He deserved to die.”
“Where is this coming from?”
“She thinks Corey was beating Becky.” Jeff sat on the edge of her desk, scooching the desktop organizer with his robust cheeks.
“Really?” Emory leaned against his flimsy desk, but it scooted away, forcing him to slam a hand against the wall to keep from falling back. “Did she tell you that?”
“No.” Virginia pushed away from the computer. “When I put Becky to bed, I noticed a bruise on her shoulder. It was in the shape of someone’s fingers.”
Emory stepped closer to them. “Did she say Corey was responsible?”
“Who else would it be?”
“Well, if that’s true, it gives her a motive for killing him.”
Jeff shrugged, “Why the elaborate scheme to somehow make him crash into that high-rise? A spouse has an abundance of opportunity. She could’ve just poisoned him or offed him a hundred easier ways than that.”
Virginia looked at Emory as if he had insulted her. “If you knew her, you’d know she’s not a killer.”
“Perhaps you know her too well to be objective.”
Jeff stood and chopped the air with his right hand. “We’re not quitting the case.”
Virginia said, “You didn’t even want to take it in the first place.”
Jeff pointed at Emory with his eyes still on Virginia. “I’m not going to let his asshole ex-partner take this from us! This is our case!” The PI lowered his hand and his tone. “Look, you told your friend we were going to find out what happened to her husband. That doesn’t change because the guy might’ve been a horrible person.”
“Virginia, I have to agree with Jeff.”
“Really?” asked Virginia. “I expected a moral decision from you.”
While Jeff huffed in mock offense, Emory told her, “Give me a chance to explain where I’m coming from. First, you saw a bruise that may or may not have been caused by a hand. Second, you’re assuming the bruise was caused by her husband, but for all we know she got in a tussle with someone over a parking spot. Third, unless it was self-defense, a murder victim’s lack of morality does not absolve the actions of the killer. That person still needs to be brought to justice. Now my first two points can easily be addressed by simply asking Becky what happened. Hopefully, she’ll give an explanation that doesn’t point the finger at Corey so you’ll feel better about continuing our investigation.”
Virginia looked at both of them. “Fine. Maybe I am jumping to conclusions.”
“Great.” Jeff clapped his hands together. “Besides the creepy workroom—”
“What creepy workroom?” asked Emory.
“I’ll fill you in later. Virginia, did you find out anything else about the victim? The dead victim?”
Virginia returned her attention to the computer and began typing. “She told me he was going to this holistic healing center to see a counselor about his acrophobia. Randy Graham.”
“Randy-gram?” Jeff shot her a confused glance. “Is that when someone comes to your door and talks dirty to you?”
“That’s who you should talk to. He’s a counselor at the Mountain Light Holistic Center.”
Emory tapped both names into his phone. “We can question him later.” He pointed to the printer behind Virginia’s desk. “I printed the names of the displaced land owners and the addresses their checks were sent to.”
“Who?” Virginia grabbed the paper from the printer and handed it to Emory.
Jeff told her, “Corey Melton was developing a windfarm for the TVA, and he stole the land he needed from property owners who are all now potential suspects.”
“He didn’t steal the land.” Emory scanned the printout. “Eminent domain is used by the government to acquire property when a court determines the public need for it outweighs the private owner’s rights to keep it.”
“I know what it is, but I don’t agree with it. It’s just not right.
Emory said, “It’s necessary. Interstates were built on formerly private land. Homeowners had to be displaced to establish just about every national park.”
Jeff crossed his arms, frowning at his new partner. “But the owners get no choice in the matter.”
“Once approved for eminent domain, the land is condemned and the owners are compensated the fair-market value for it.” Emory handed the printout to Jeff. “The TVA condemned thirteen separate pieces of property in Brume Wood for the windfarm.”
“Brume Wood?” Virginia asked. “Where’s that?”
“In the mountains about an hour east of here. Seve
n of those properties had houses on them. The rest were empty lots.”
Jeff’s eyes went from the printout to Emory. “How do you condemn an empty lot? Was it contaminated with something?”
“Condemning land is just a process for acquiring it. It doesn’t mean it’s unusable.”
“And you said he didn’t steal it.” Jeff ripped the paper, taking seven names and handing the rest to Emory. “Let’s split up.”
Emory hurried up the walkway to a modern two-story condominium in the up-and-coming Oakwood section of Knoxville. He looked at the fourth name on his list, Mary Belle Hinter, and checked the address. Unit C. He knocked on the door of the ground-floor unit and waited. Nothing. He tried once more with the same result. Removing one of his new business cards from his wallet, he wrote a note on the back asking Ms. Hinter to call him before slipping the card into the crack of the doorway.
“Hey man, no soliciting,” a voice scolded from behind.
Startled, Emory faced his misguided chider. “I’m not a solicitor. I’m leaving a message for Mary Belle Hinter.”
A blond man approached on the walkway, rolling a metallic suitcase behind him. “What do you want with her?”
He looks like a surfer in a suit. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”
The young man stopped just shy of stepping on Emory’s toes. “I’m her nephew, Luke Hinter. Grandnephew, actually. My grandmother was her sister. And who are you?”
“Emory Rome. I’m a special… private investigator. I need to ask her some questions about a man with whom she had a business dealing.”
Luke laughed. “That sounds vague and nefarious. Who?”
“Corey Melton.”
“How do I know that name?”
“He purchased her land for the TVA.”
Luke daggered the air with his finger. “That’s it! He’s the reason she got dumped in my lap.”
“What do you mean?”
“We moved away from that hillbilly town—”
“Brume Wood?”
“Yeah, when I was like three years old, so I don’t remember ever seeing Aunt Mary Belle before I had to go up there and get her. The sheriff arrested her because she refused to leave her land after that Corey guy snaked it from her. I missed half a day’s work.”
Death Opens a Window Page 4